However this may be, one thing is certain to the minds of all wise women and fairy-men, that he is the "thrickiest little divil that iver wore a brogue," whereof abundant proof is given. There was Tim O’Donovan, of Kerry, who captured a Leprechawn and forced him to disclose the spot where the "pot o’ goold" was concealed. Tim was going to make the little rogue dig up the money for him, but, on the Leprechawn advancing the plea that he had no spade, released him, marking the spot by driving a stick into the ground and placing his hat on it. Returning the next morning with a spade, the spot pointed out by the "little ottomy av a desaver" being in the centre of a large bog, he found, to his unutterable disgust, that the Leprechawn was too smart for him, for in every direction innumerable sticks rose out of the bog, each bearing aloft an old "caubeen" so closely resembling his own that poor Tim, after long search, was forced to admit himself baffled and give up the gold that, on the evening before, had been fairly within his grasp, if "he’d only had the brains in his shkull to make the Leprechawn dig it for him, shpade or no shpade." Even when caught, therefore, the captor must outwit the captive, and the wily little rascal, having a thousand devices, generally gets away without giving up a penny, and sometimes succeeds in bringing the eager fortune-hunter to grief, a notable instance of which was the case of Dennis O’Bryan, of Tipperary, as narrated by an old woman of Crusheen. "It’s well beknownst that the Leprechawn has a purse that’s got the charmed shillin’. Only wan shillin’, but the wondher av the purse is this: No matther how often ye take out a shillin’ from it, the purse is niver empty at all, but whin ye put yer finger in agin, ye always find wan there, fur the purse fills up when ye take wan from it, so ye may shtand all day countin’ out the shillin’s an’ they comin’, that’s a thrick av the good peoples an’ be magic. "Now Dinnis was a young blaggârd that was always afther peepin’ about undher the hidge fur to ketch a Leprechawn, though they do say that thim that doesn’t sarch afther thim sees thim oftener than thim that does, but Dinnis made his mind up that if there was wan in the counthry, he’d have him, fur he hated work worse than sin, an’ did be settin’ in a shebeen day in an’ out till you’d think he’d grow on the sate. So wan day he was comin’ home, an’ he seen something red over in the corner o’ the field, an’ in he goes, as quiet as a mouse, an’ up on the Leprechawn an’ grips him be the collar an’ down’s him on the ground. "’Arrah, now, ye ugly little vagabone,’ says he, ’I’ve got ye at last. Now give up yer goold, or by jakers I’ll choke the life out av yer pin-squazin’ carkidge, ye owld cobbler, ye,’ says he, shakin’ him fit to make his head dhrop aff.